One of my most beloved friends lives in Arlington with his wife (also a long-time friend) and their three lovely daughters. This man, along with his brother, have one of the best relationships with their parents that I have ever seen, especially with their father. Although I am sure there were some teenage growing pains, since that family is comprised of human beings, these men have a tight-knit bond with their Dad and their lovely Mom. I have told the patriarch of this family (who I leave unnamed out of respect for their privacy... this isn't their blog) that one of my life goals is to have a relationship with my sons like he has with these two fine, God-fearing men. As far as I'm concerned, Mr. X is a benchmark for a father.
So.... how in the world does that apply to a Super Sunday?
Yesterday morning, I had the immense privilege of baptizing my youngest two sons. Our church allows someone undergoing this solemn ordinance to choose who shall dunk them, and I served in that role for Logan and Ryan. It was a very special start to this Sunday, and from what I have gathered from my friends in the audience, I wasn't the only one deeply moved by it.
And yet, the event itself is not the connection to Mr. X. That occurred several days prior, when Allison needed to tell the minister who would be performing the baptisms. She asked my boys, and they declared, without hesitation, that they wished to be baptized by their Dad. That simple action warmed my heart almost more than the actual event, and is what made me think of Mr. X and his sons.
There is a lot of time to be played yet... I'm still in the first quarter of this Fatherhood Football Game, and there is still much work to do in order to emulate the baseline of Mr. X. That said, this little vignette from our family life this week made me feel that I'm on the right track. I am blessed to have close, wonderful relationships with all four of my sons, and I would not trade that for any currency, of any form, in all the world. I love my sons.
Mr. X: thank you for the great example.
So.... how in the world does that apply to a Super Sunday?
Yesterday morning, I had the immense privilege of baptizing my youngest two sons. Our church allows someone undergoing this solemn ordinance to choose who shall dunk them, and I served in that role for Logan and Ryan. It was a very special start to this Sunday, and from what I have gathered from my friends in the audience, I wasn't the only one deeply moved by it.
And yet, the event itself is not the connection to Mr. X. That occurred several days prior, when Allison needed to tell the minister who would be performing the baptisms. She asked my boys, and they declared, without hesitation, that they wished to be baptized by their Dad. That simple action warmed my heart almost more than the actual event, and is what made me think of Mr. X and his sons.
There is a lot of time to be played yet... I'm still in the first quarter of this Fatherhood Football Game, and there is still much work to do in order to emulate the baseline of Mr. X. That said, this little vignette from our family life this week made me feel that I'm on the right track. I am blessed to have close, wonderful relationships with all four of my sons, and I would not trade that for any currency, of any form, in all the world. I love my sons.
Mr. X: thank you for the great example.
